MUNICH, April 13, 2024
Under blue skies, sunshine and temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius, the main draw for the BMW Open was revealed in perfect weather conditions at the venue of the MTTC Iphitos in Munich on Saturday. The 28-player line-up features a lot of interesting matches headlined by home favourite Alexander Zverev. The World No. 5 from Germany, who lifted the BMW Open trophy in 2017 and 2018, will make his 10th appearance in the Bavarian capital city. Zverev will start his title bid as the top seed after a first-round bye against the winner of the match between Austria’s Jurij Rodionov and Aleksandar Vukic of Australia.
Two-time defending champion Holger Rune will also be back at the ATP 250 clay-court event. The No. 2 seed leads the bottom half of the draw and awaits a player from South America for his first-round match, either Camilo Ugo Carabelli from Argentina or Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan.
After reaching the semi-finals last year, Taylor Fritz returns to Munich. The World No. 13 from the United States is seeded third and will take on the winner of the encounter between 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem of Austria and a qualifier. Fritz beat Thiem in the stage of the last eight at the BMW Open last year before falling to eventual runner-up Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands.
Jan-Lennard Struff round out the tournament’s top four seeds. The 33-year-old German is scheduled to open his home campaign against either van de Zandschulp or a qualifier. Struff, a 2021 Munich finalist, is still seeking his maiden title on the ATP Tour.
Main Draws are out! 🔥💪#BMWOpen #tennis #munich #atp pic.twitter.com/o61TjhMpxQ
— BMW Open (@BMWOpen24) April 13, 2024
Auger-Aliassime to make Munich debut
Canadian youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime will make his debut in Munich as the fifth favourite. The 23-year-old has already arrived at the MTTC Iphitos and is impressed by the venue.
“It’s always special to discover new places, a new tournament. I have been on tour for a few years now but it’s pretty rare to come to a new city. I am excited to play here at a real tennis club, which has members and good courts all year. That’s what I like. Tennis has a tradition here,” Auger-Aliassime said during the BMW Open kick-off event on Friday.
“It’s a great line-up and it has always been. The past years I was watching from distance. This year I will be part of the players. The tour is always competitive and this week will be no difference.”
The World No. 35 has captured five career titles on the ATP Tour and will face German Maximilian Marterer in the opening round.
Rising stars in Munich
The BMW Open is not merely a stage for established stars, it also offers opportunities for emerging talents to shine. Two of them will meet in a first-round match-up, as Alex Michelsen will play Max Hans Rehberg. The 19-year-old, who is sitting at a career-high World No. 70, is the youngest US-American ranked inside the Top 100. Michelsen claimed two titles on the Challenger Circuit last year and made headlines by reaching the third round of the 2024 Australian Open on his debut at this Major.
Rehberg, who was born in Munich 2003, will try to secure his first tour-level main draw match win in Munich in his third attempt. The World No. 479 lost to Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in 2022 and was beaten by Hungarian Marton Fucsovics after a tough fight in three sets last year.
Besides a prize money of €88,125 and 250 ATP Ranking points, the champion of this year’s BMW Open will also receive a brand new BMW i5 M60.
“I am always motivated to win but I haven’t thought about it when I came here. It will give me an extra motivation. I have never won a car at a tournament, so this would be my first,” Auger-Aliassime said.
Allianz Para Trophy part of the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour
World class wheelchair tennis can also be witnessed in Munich again with the third edition of the Allianz Para Trophy. This year, however, the tournament is part of the official ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour for the first time. The highly-attractive field is led by 27-time Grand Slam champion Alfie Hewett from Great Britain.
Mischa Zverev is another big name involved in the event. The 36-year-old German will serve as the tournament director of the Allianz Para Trophy for the second consecutive year.
“I have always admired those guys, the way they are playing and move around the court. Their skills are just phenomenal. I haven’t tried it until last year,” said Zverev, who spoke about his own experience.
“When I was sitting in a wheelchair playing tennis, I realized that I was right. It is incredibly tough and complicated. It’s not easy to move around and hit the ball. You have to focus on so many things. That’s why I am happy that these guys will have a new Center Court this year. Spectators can watch the action of the Allianz Para Trophy just right at the entrance of the venue. I am looking forward to incredible players and fascinating tennis.”
Qualifying gets underway
Meanwhile, tennis action got underway with the qualifying of the BMW Open. Alejandro Moro Canas of Spain rallied past local hero Daniel Masur 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1 in front of packed stands on Center Court.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
“It was amazing. This was one of my best experiences I have ever had on a tennis court and also in my life. I want to repeat it tomorrow,” said Moro Canas about the electrifying atmosphere. The 23-year-old will next take on Nerman Fatic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Italians Andrea Pellegrino and Francesco Passaro as well as Briton Jan Choinski, Marc-Andrea Huesler of Switzerland, Henri Squire of Germany and Ivan Gakhov were also among the winners in the first round of the qualifying.
Sold-out tournament
For the first time in the history of the BMW Open, all nine days of competition have sold out completely before the start of the tournament. After tickets for both weekends and the quarterfinal Friday were sold out early, now there are no tickets available even for the first days of the main draw. Therefore, this year, additional grounds tickets for €29 will be available for sale from Monday to Thursday.
“We are proud of the development of the BMW Open and eagerly anticipate packed courts from the qualifying rounds and Round 1,” said Christian Okon, Managing Director of the organizer MMP Event.
“We have all the ingredients for a great tournament week here at MTTC Iphitos. I look forward to the many tennis fans and world-class tennis from day one,” added Fabian Tross, Board Member of the host and licensee MTTC Iphitos.
